A Short History of OKon
By Tim Frayser
OKon was a science fiction convention held yearly in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
There were 15 OKons, running from 1977 through 1992. OKon was organized
and run by fans in the now-defunct local science fiction club, STARbase
Tulsa.

Over the years, OKon raised thousands of dollars for local charities
(the Tulsa Recreation Center for the Physically Limited, the Brass Ring
Society, Project Get-Together) as well as national organizations (the American
Diabetes Association, the Arthritis Foundation, the American Cancer Society).
OKon 8 in 1985 was the largest, with attendance well over 2,000. That year,
the convention raised $8,000 for charity.

Year

OKon #

Guests

Notes

1977

OKon I

Guests of Honor: C.J. Cherryh and R. A. Lafferty

The first OKon was expected to draw about 300 people; over 900 showed
up. The dealer's room at the Trade Winds Central Hotel was so crowded
people lined up to go through one door, were herded through in single
file, then out another door. The
hotel room of Wilson "Bob" Tucker was burglarized during the con; the
intruders took everything, including Tucker's glasses. The tradition began
of having OKon on the third weekend of July every year. The first OKon
was able to donate $1,000 to the Tulsa Recreation Center for the Physically
Limited.

The second OKon found a home in the majestic Mayo Hotel in downtown
Tulsa.
Steve Kimmel was chairman of Okon that year. Films were to be shown
in one of the large meeting rooms which had a beautiful skylight-- unfortunately,
it made showing films during daytime hours impossible. Rolls of black plastic
were purchased by the con committee and taken to the roof to cover the
skylight. Over 1,500 people attended, and the con raised $2,500 for the
American Diabetes Foundation.

"Star Wars' won the Hugo at Worldcon that year for Best Dramatic Presentation.
Frederick Pohl's "Gateway" won the Hugo, as well as the Nebula award,
for Best Novel.

The Mayo Hotel again was the site for OKon, which attracted 1,200 fans,
despite several problems. One month before the con, there was a comic convention
in Tulsa which many fans attended thinking it was OKon. The hotel also
booked a wedding for Sunday of the con-- to be held in the dealer's room.
So, Saturday night, the con had to move all the dealer's tables out of
the dealer's room and into the smaller video room; some tables ended up
in the hallways. Nevertheless, a grand total of $1,500 was collected
on behalf of the Arthritis Foundation. At opening ceremonies, Williamson
received a standing ovation on behalf of his achievements in science fiction.
Okon held its first masquerade that year.

C.J. Cherryh's "Cassandra" won the Hugo that year for Best Short Story.
The
Dramatic Presentation award went the the movie "Superman."

Over 2,000 people attended the 4th OKon, and the convention was able
to donate
$4,500 to the Arthritis Foundation. Guest of Honor Alan Dean Foster
had an unpleasant experience at OKon which was later recorded in an editorial
on the state of fandom by Harlan Ellison. ("Xenogenesis," reprinted in
"Edgeworks: the Collected Ellison.") Ellison was in fact once invited to
be a guest at OKon. In his reply letter, Ellison declined, stating he would
rather "eat a maggot sandwich" than visit Oklahoma in July. (He also copyrighted
the letter so that the con could not publish it.) .

1981

The majestic Mayo Hotel, OKon's convention hotel
in downtown Tulsa, was suddenly sold and closed down early in 1981. With
no other suitable venue to relocate to, that year's OKon had to be cancelled.
However, much of the con committee worked on Panopticon West, a Doctor
Who convention in Tulsa which featured Peter Davison, the 5th Doctor, as
Guest of Honor.

OKon '83 was held in downtown Tulsa at the Excelsior Hotel (later
sold and renamed the Doubletree), which gave the convention such grief
that the con announced in the program book the next year's convention would
be held at a different hotel. One fan managed to shove a broadsword through
one of the hotel walls. Over 1,500 attended the con, which raised money
for the American Cancer Society. OKon also hosted FilkCon East that year,
with Bill Maraschiello and other filkers in attendance. Flyers promoting
a bid to have the 1988 World Science Fiction Convention in Tulsa were distributed
at several conventions that year, but not enough support was gathered for
the bid.

At OKon '84, the hat was passed to raise money to help Kansas
writer Rob Chilson, who suffered a recent apartment fire. A charity auction
raised almost $800 for him. The big thing at the con that year was the
preview of the upcoming film "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai." Banzai
headbands floated around town for years. It marked the first time OKon
met its room block at the con hotel-- it this case, it was even exceeded.
In the OKon art show, 45 artists displayed 379 works of art, grossing over
$7,200 in sales.

The 1984 Worldcon was in Los Angeles that year, with 1983 Toastmaster
Gordon R. Dickson the Guest of Honor. "Return of the Jedi" won the Hugo
for Best Dramatic Presentation.

For the second year in a row, the Sheraton Kensington was home to OKon,
which raised a record donation for the Brass Ring Society: $8,000-- OKon
donated more to the organization than CitiCorp of New York.

Fan GoH Forrest J. Ackerman astounded the congoers with his behind-the-scenes
tales of Hollywood. Over 1,700 people attended the con, which again benefitted
the Brass Ring Society.

Following the Shuttle Challenger disaster, 1977 Guest of Honor C.J.
Cherryh instigated the Challenger Campaign, to raise money for a full page
ad in the New York Times supporting further activities in space. (Cherryh
was nominated for a Hugo that year for her novel "Cuckoo's Egg.")

Nineteen eighty-seven marked the tenth anniversary of OKon. R.A. Lafferty
returned as Anniversary Guest, and C.J. Cherryh returned with Wilson "Bob"
Tucker as Guests of Honor. Best in Show in the Costume Contest went to
a fan dressed as the "Clam Man." Entertainment after the masquerade Saturday
night featured the wedding of two con staffers. This was OKon's last year
at the Kensington.

Okon moved to its new home at the Camelot Hotel, where it remained
until the
end of its run four years later. OKon '88 was nicknamed
"OKon 88n't no beer" because of the sudden removal of beer from the con
suite. Over 1,200 attended, despite the absence of local publicity, and
the con raised money for the Brass Ring Society.

"Star Trek IV: the Voyage Home" was nominated for a Hugo that year,
but lost to
"The Princess Bride" for Best Dramatic Presentation.

By 1991, Okon was the largest and most popular convention in Oklahoma,
with a core group of dedicated, hard-working staffers with over a decade
of experience in convention operation. That was the year the convention
chairman unilaterally announced that the 1992 convention would be the last
OKon.

Held at the rapidly decaying Camelot Hotel, several room air conditioners
exploded over the weekend, and many congoers refused to swim in the sickly-green
swimming pool.
Late Saturday night, someone set off a smoke bomb in one of the video
rooms. Nine Tulsa Fire Dept. fire trucks responded to the alarm. The entire
second floor was evacuated for several hours, and one person was treated
on the scene for smoke inhalation. Immediately following closing ceremonies,
lightning struck the roof of the Camelot, which soon closed down for good.

STARbase Tulsa kept meeting for another year, but eventually disbanded.
Several ex-members later joined together to start Conestoga
in 1997.